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"The Money Matters program teaches Boys & Girls Club teens like Arianna how to responsibly handle their finances and take steps towards a financially fit future"

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In honor of Financial Literacy Month in April, Boys & Girls Clubs of
America and Charles Schwab Foundation selected teen Arianna Akinwunmi
from Frisco, Texas to serve as the 2018 National Ambassador for the Money
Mattersfinancial education program and receive a $5,000
scholarship. Now in its 14th year, the Money Matters program
teaches the basics of personal finance and the importance of an early
start to financial responsibility.

One in five (22 percent) U.S. teens lack basic financial literacy
skills, and the U.S. ranks seventh out of 15 participating countries in
the evaluation of 15-year-olds’ ability to understand essential
financial concepts, according to the Program for International Student
Assessment. As the National Money Matters Ambassador, Akinwunmi will
advocate for early financial literacy in an effort to help teens across
the country expand their knowledge of money management.

Since the program’s inception in 2004, more than 850,000 Boys & Girls
Club teens have completed Money Matters in more than 1,700 Clubs.
The program aims to help young people achieve financial independence and
well-being. Through the program, Charles Schwab Foundation has presented
more than $550,000 in college scholarship grants to Boys & Girls Club
teens who excelled in the program and demonstrated newly acquired
personal finance skills.

Akinwunmi, now a high school senior, first became interested in the
Money Matters program in fourth grade and completed the course at her
Club during her eighth grade year. Since then, she has shared her
newfound financial knowledge with other youth at Boys & Girls Clubs of
Collin County and throughout the Frisco, Texas community.

“The financial education program helped me prioritize my needs and wants
so I can achieve my goal of earning a college degree with minimal
student loan debt,” Akinwunmi said. “I now have confidence that I am in
charge of my financial destiny, not my parents or corporations, and that
achieving financial freedom at a young age is possible.”

With a current 4.0 GPA, Akinwunmi plans to major in finance at the
University of Texas at San Antonio. Upon graduation, she hopes to start
her own business with a focus on community service. Eventually,
Akinwunmi plans to offer entrepreneurship classes to young people so
they too can earn the financial freedom to follow their dreams.

“The National Ambassador program is so valuable because it celebrates
the difference that financial education can make in someone’s life,”
said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president and board chair of Charles
Schwab Foundation. ”It also celebrates the power of peer-to-peer
influence, which is so crucial in helping young people learn the
importance of lifelong engagement with their finances.”

In addition to Akinwunmi, 10 other Boys & Girls Club teens will receive
$2,500 scholarships for their outstanding personal finance leadership
skills.

“The Money Matters program teaches Boys & Girls Club teens like Arianna
how to responsibly handle their finances and take steps towards a
financially fit future,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO of Boys &
Girls Clubs of America. “After participating in the program, our Club
members have the knowledge and confidence they need to establish healthy
financial habits. We’re so proud to recognize Arianna and are grateful
to have an expert partner in Charles Schwab Foundation to help our young
people achieve important financial milestones, from opening up their
first bank account to applying for college scholarships.”

For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org)
has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as
productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,300 Clubs
serve nearly 4 million young people through Club membership and
community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing
and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families
in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations
worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and
friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis
during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic
success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a
Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives.
National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at Facebook and Twitter.

About Charles Schwab Foundation

Charles Schwab Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization funded by
The Charles Schwab Corporation. Its mission is to create positive change
through financial education, philanthropy, and volunteerism. More
information is available at www.aboutschwab.com/community.
Charles Schwab Foundation is classified by the IRS as a charity under
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is
neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) nor its
parent company, The Charles Schwab Corporation. Charles Schwab
Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are unaffiliated entities.